Moravian punter gets off on the right foot -- and the left

Moravian's Tyler Thompson is a multiple threat at
punter: he can punt with either leg, and his rugby-style punts give
him a good opportunity to run with the ball if he sees an opening.
But he's also go more on his mind than football. Thompson is a
co-captain of the golf team, which is also a fall
sport.
Moravian athletics photos

"The Switch-Footed Punter Who Golfs" would make a great Matt
Christopher title. Moravian's Tyler Thompson is no work of fiction.
The senior has been the Greyhounds' full-time punter and kicker for
the past two seasons. The football team shares him in the fall with
the golf team. In addition to being the rare
two-sports-in-the-same-season athlete, Thompson has another unique
attribute: he is an ambidextrous punter and kicker.

"I played soccer growing up, and I could kick and kickoff with
both feet," said Thompson. "I don't really have a dominant
leg."

Still, it took lots of work to perfect punting equally well with
both his left and right foot. The Greyhounds use rugby punts, which
give Thompson a running start in the direction in which he is
booting the ball. Being able to punt with his outside leg no matter
which direction he is running is an added weapon that Thompson
developed over time.

"It was a lot of trial and error my freshman year," said
Thompson. "I practiced it every day."
Thompson played baseball his first two years at Moravian, but a
torn labrum ended his baseball career. He had always been an avid
golfer and was persuaded to join the golf team by another former
baseball player whose career was cut short by injury. Despite
spending most of his time with the football team, Thompson has been
a valuable addition to the golf team, earning co-captain honors
this year.

"I understand that he was a football player here first," said
Greyhounds head golf coach Kevin Edwards. "We're happy to have him
on our team. He's very good leadership-wise."
There has not been a tug-of-war between Thompson's two head
coaches. Edwards attended Moravian with head football coach Jeff
Pukszyn. The two have a longstanding friendship and their constant
communication has ensured that there will not be any disputes over
Thompson's scheduling conflicts.

"It's a lot easier when you know the other coach," said Pukszyn
of handling the schedule of a two-sport athlete. "I respect Kevin
so much."

Pukszyn is in his second season as head coach of the Greyhounds
but has been a coach in the program since 1999. He says this is the
first instance he can recall of a football player also playing
another varsity sport for the Greyhounds during the football
season.

"Tyler puts a lot of time into his kicking and punting," said
Pukszyn. "When he needs to go play golf, Kevin and I work it out so
that Tyler can afford to help that team out."

The golf season is split into two parts: the fall and spring.
Unfortunately, Thompson had to miss the first two rounds of the
Empire 8 Conference tournament (the Greyhounds play golf in the
E8). While he will still be able to play the final two rounds in
the spring, he will not be eligible for a medal. Other than that,
most of the Greyhounds' golf tournaments have been played during
the week and Thompson has been able to play.

"He is a good addition to our team," said Edwards. "We are a
young team, so it helps to have seniors to help them out."

On the football field, Thompson is an even bigger asset. With
his ability to punt with either leg, as well as run when the
opportunity presents itself, Thompson has been a game-changer for
the Greyhounds. Pukszyn advises the officials before the game of
Thompson's unusual punting style.

"It's pretty unique, and he's good with both legs," said
Pukszyn. "He really helps us. He's a good athlete and he's
manufactured a few first downs for us."

With the rugby-style punting, in which Thompson rolls out in the
direction in which he's kicking, the coaches give him the green
light to run the ball if he thinks he can make the first down. If
an opponent is unprepared for his ambidexterity, Thompson will make
them pay.

"The rugby style gives me a lot more opportunities to spread it
out and a lot more field to work with," said Thompson. "Teams that
don't scout will load up on one side [to try and block the punt].
Coach trusts me to run, and I haven't been stopped yet."

Thompson was a high school quarterback, and Moravian's coaching
staff thought he would play in the Greyhounds secondary in addition
to punting and kicking. They knew they had an athletic weapon on
special teams. So far this season, Thompson has made six out of
seven point after tries, missed his only field goal attempt and is
averaging 37.5 yards per punt. Nine of his 39 punts have been
downed inside the 20 yard line. He has also rushed for a first down
in his only attempt.

"Running for a first down is such a thrill," said Thompson, who
admitted that it is a greater thrill than sinking a long putt or
chip shot on the golf course. "Nobody sees it coming, and you get
your team a first down and give your offense another chance."

The parallels between playing golf and punting and kicking a
football are evident. You are on an island, where every mistake you
make is magnified. If Thompson shanks a punt, hooks a kick or
slices a drive, he knows that all eyes will be on him. He relishes
the challenges.

"I like when the spotlight's on me," said Thompson. "You know
you can make a shot or a kick, you just need to put your head down,
rely on muscle memory, and stay focused."

The senior is currently working in practice to teach his
freshman backup how to punt with both legs. Once he graduates, the
Greyhounds hope to maintain the strategic advantage of having an
ambidextrous punter. One thing that will be hard to replace is
Thompson's mental toughness. Whether he is on the golf course or
the football field, he has shown an ability to stay focused and
have a short memory of his mistakes, qualities that are just as
vital for a golfer as they are for a punter/kicker.

"There are different aspects of both sports in terms of you only
get one shot," said Pukszyn. "Tyler does a great job with his
approach to that."

Thompson will punt and kick for the Greyhounds on Oct. 13 at
home against Susquehanna, and will golf for the Greyhounds at the
Muhlenberg Invitational on Oct. 15.

Under the lights: Randolph-Macon played its
first night game at the newly remodeled Day Field on Friday, Oct.
5. The Yellow Jackets put on an impressive performance for the
homecoming weekend crowd, trouncing Catholic, 45-12. The Cardinals
were without starting quarterback Greg Cordivari. Randolph-Macon
again used its balanced, time-consuming offensive attack, rushing
for 205 yards, passing for 206 yards and controlling the ball for
36:14.

"It was a great experience," said head coach Pedro Arruza of the
team's first night game. "It was an awesome, awesome
atmosphere."

The Yellow Jackets practiced under the lights three days prior
to the game. The players were amped up, as was the entire
Randolph-Macon community.

"The players were really excited about," said Arruza. "There was
a real positive buzz on campus."

Around the Mid-Atlantic Team of the Week: Christopher
Newport once again gave Ferrum a stiff-arm, holding off
the Panthers by one touchdown. The Captains were led by sophomore
quarterback Marcus Morrast, who completed six of nine passes for
133 yards and three touchdowns in his first start of the season.
Morrast, who replaced the injured Aaron Edwards, also rushed for 57
yards and two touchdowns. Freshman Paul Dukes led the Captains'
rushing attack with 132 yards and Markeese Stovall added 86 yards
on the ground. Ferrum, down 38-17 early in the fourth quarter,
rallied back to come within seven points, but the Captains held on
for a 38-31 victory to retain the driver's seat in the USA South
race. Tyler Brubaker put up 250 yards of offense (143 rushing, 107
receiving) in the losing effort. It was the third time in the last
five meetings between these two programs that the game was decided
by one score.

Number of the Week: 503. Rushing yards for
Washington and Lee in the Generals' 45-28 homecoming win over Emory
and Henry. The Generals set a new ODAC single-game rushing record.
Quarterback Nick Lombardo led the way with 164 yards on 23 carries.
Luke Heinsohn added 138 yards and three touchdowns on just 13
carries. Sasha Vandalov ran seven times for 85 yards and a score.
Brett Murray added 59 yards and a touchdown. Luke Terna, Dillon
Stanfield, and Austin Eisenhofer also contributed to the
record-breaking performance.

Quick hits: Hampden-Sydney recovered from a
two-game losing streak to hand Bridgewater its first loss of the
season, 24-7. The Eagles were held to 89 yards on the ground. Kenny
Fryman and Russ Leboff led the Tigers defense with eight tackles
each...Guilford won its second contest of the season, equaling its
win total from 2011. The Quakers defeated Shenandoah, 20-7, holding
the Hornets to 206 yards of total offense. Reggie Bullard and Tyler
Eller each notched two sacks...Averett won its first game of the
year, scoring two fourth quarter touchdowns to defeat LaGrange,
14-7. Zachary Grkman had two interceptions and Anthony Terry
returned a punt 75 yards for the game-winning score to lead the
Cougars...Travis Felder rushed for 179 yards and three touchdowns
to lead Maryville over Greensboro, 41-6.

Looking ahead:Gettysburg at
Muhlenberg. This is the Mules' last chance to claw back
into the Centennial Conference race. Gettysburg and Johns Hopkins
remain the only undefeated teams in the conference. Will the
Bullets be looking ahead to a short week and their showdown with
the Blue Jays on Oct. 19? Or will the nation's fourth-ranked
scoring defense send Muhlenberg to its second straight shutout
loss?

What did I miss? Do you know about any upcoming
milestones, big games or new names in the Mid-Atlantic? Please
share them with me. If you have suggestions for next week's column,
please reach out to me at @adamturer or adam.turer@d3sports.com. Enjoy
Week 7!

Andrew Lovell is a writer based in Connecticut and a former online news editor for ESPN.com, as well as a former sports staff writer/editor for the New Britain Herald (Conn.). He has written feature stories for ESPN.com, currently contributes fantasy football content to RotoBaller.com, and has been a regular contributor to D3sports.com sites since 2007. Andrew has also written for a number of daily newspapers in New York, including the Poughkeepsie Journal, Ithaca Journal and Auburn Citizen. He graduated from Ithaca College in 2008 with B.A. in Sport Media and a minor in writing.